As long as there has been kitchens, there has been dirty dishes. As long as there has been dirty dishes, there has been a need to wash and dry such dishes. There are basically two widely accepted methods for accomplishing this least favorite task of most every person—i.e., washing and drying by hand or by use of an automatic dishwasher. For those still employing the former method, hand drying has typically been considered inferior to air drying. However, air drying requires the wet dishes to be exposed to the air for some time to allow water to be drained or evaporated.
Countless attempts have been made to provide a device which meets the many structural requirements as well as aesthetic desires for a drying rack, commonly referred to as a dish rack. Such requirements include the ability to accommodate various plate, bowl and glassware sizes, the ability to store a significant amount of dishes, including flatware, for drying, the ability to prevent messy water drainage onto counters, and the ability to provide easy compact storage when not in use while still being readily constructed when needed.
However, until the present device, none have addressed each of these problems with a single drying rack. The shortcomings of prior devices may be due to a perception that a larger dish rack would be too bulky or flimsy if it were made to be foldable. Or, perhaps it is a failure to recognize the failings of any particular device. Nonetheless, the present invention is unique in that it addresses each of these, as well as other problems found in the prior art. By providing a drying storage rack which is sturdy, capable of accommodating a variety of items, suitable for use as a stand alone rack as well as for use with a drain sink, and foldable for storage purposes, the present invention solves these problems.